I am in Germany. The country where Henry Kissinger was born 100 years ago. Whose Jewish family fled Nazi Germany 🇩🇪 in 1938.
The mixed legacy of Henry Kissinger as viewed by The Guardian newspaper
What makes Kissinger’s political life so disturbing. His manic single-minded focus to American power dominance.
The headlines
The destruction of neutral Cambodia in 1970 which led to genocidal Khmer Rouge regime
Kissinger’s destruction of the democratic Socialist Salvador Allende. Ushered in the 17 year dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. A reign of terror and prosecution of political foes.
Henry Kissinger in death “Moral wretchedness.”Wall Street Journal editorial engages in blatant sophistry in absolving Kissinger of culpability in overthrow of Salvador Allende in Chile 9.11.1973.
Mainstream media for American capitalist predominance notwithstanding. This is why the obituaries are not universal in lauding Kissinger as a great man.
It’s a 36° dreary rainy day when the blogger trekked to 17 JuniStrasse in the center of Tiergarten Park by the Victory Column to check out the environmental group Letzte Generation protest.
A sizable crowd braved the elements to voice its support for climate change
The group is controversial in Germany 🇩🇪 for its militant street actions protesting the ongoing prevalence of fossil fuels in this auto fueled nation. The headline (posted below) from German tabloid BILD is typical.
The blogger knew of this event before leaving San Francisco and vowed to attend.
His blog mate was recovering from a Virus and made the prudent decision. She sought refuge in a Moabit Cafe for a warm meal and conversation with the barista.
Following is a montage of the Letzte Generation climate protest. A well attended event watched over by a large number of Berlin Polizei.
Letzte Generation. ‘Climate Protection is Not a Crime.’Letzte Generation sits down and stands up for climate change and the elimination of fossil ⛽️ fuel.Letzte Generation stands up before the Berlin Tiergarten Victory Column reaching high into the November skyLetzte Generation supporters attired in their familiar orange outfitsMass Occupation. Away from Fossil Fuels Towards Fairness.A Letzte Generation supporter eyes the blogger.People of all ages participate.Letzte Generation. ‘This is an Emergency.’Letzte Generation leaders 🔥 fired up the crowd on a cold November afternoon.Father and daughter part of the event The Berlin Polizei monitor Letzte Generation 👮♂️An abundance of diverse political commentary.The Flag flies on JuniStrasse 17A critical look at Letzte Generation by the German tabloid BILD
Christmas 🌟 stars lighting the path enchant a child.
Liz and Lee Heidhues 11.24 2023
A maiden hurls an axe through the air to win a prize and land she knows not where
An unforgettable day in the Friedrichshain district.
The marksman at the Christmas Market wants you to hit the 🎯 Bullseye.
Watching folks eat, drink, and get down at the historically themed medieval Weichnachtsmarkt.
Aiming for the TargetA gleeful child rocks on the hand pulled carousel 🎠 The wooden Ferris 🎡 wheel. A children’s delight
With hand-operated attractions like a Ferris Wheel and a wooden carousel for the children.
A bonanza of toys lures children of all ages.
Where adults can purchase unique handmade works from blacksmiths, carpenters, and weavers.
The welder is 🔥 HOT!!Hand carved, painted ready to sit stools for the wee ones.
Christmas Markets pop up all over Berlin and other German cities around Christmas times.
The multi cultural crowd at the holiday market.
All varieties of families from diverse backgrounds gather together at these outdoor markets, to enjoy the food, mulled wines, and traditions of the wintry German Christmas.
Liz keeps warm on a cold November afternoon at the holiday market in Berlin
There is nothing comparable in San Francisco’s often balmy Christmas season.
A holiday thrill for a young equestrian.The incredibly beautiful smile of a holiday market vendor.Lee sets his sights on the 🥔 kartoffelen vendor. A mainstay of any German holiday market.Sandwich 🥪 board advertising the food fare on a cold afternoon at the Berlin holiday market 😋👋At the Berlin 🎄 Christmas Market. Goodbye and good night.
We have been two weeks in Moabit and had daily exposure to this multi cultural hip working class neighborhood.
Following are some photos of the life.
The visitor is happily amazed by the number of bicycles 🚲 which occupy every available space in Moabit.At a Cafe with the Berliner Zeitung watched over by a black cat.A Turkish produce market on TurmStrasse. A major Moabit thoroughfare.The criminal courthouse where Adolf Hitler testified in 1931. Two years before the Nazis claimed power in January 1933.Stolpersteine are to be found all over Moabit Berlin. Grim reminders of the 12 year Nazi ReichKirchstrasse in Moabit is teeming with life. Even on a cold November early afternoon.Liz in front of the Turm Bistro in Moabit where we enjoyed dinner on several evenings getting acquainted with the local residents.Nightime in Moabit on Turmstrasse Saturday afternoon at Freddy Lecks Waschsalon. A religious holiday event in Moabit.The essential Moabit transportation. A Cyclist pedals along the bike path.Deutsche Post delivering the mail in MoabitAn empty children’s playground by the Spree River.The Spree River winds its way through Moabit.Moabit is a neighborhood where road improvements construction 🚧 are a part of everyday life.The Tiergarten Hotel where we have set up residence during our trips to Berlin is undergoing an extensive renovation.The Schulteiss Brewery in Moabit. Now the site of a shopping mall.The recently added Moabit extension to the M10 tram. It passes by the Schulteiss Brewery mall. Terminating at the nearby U9 Turmstrasse train station The Kleiner Tiergarten Park in Moabit. Directly across the street from the Tiergarten Hotel.Liz and Lee. Visitors in Berlin capture the moment at an old school 📸 photo booth.A poinsettia on the window sill of our hotel room. It was given to us by a friendly Moabit resident. The traveler’s drying wash hangs close 👌 by.
A visit to the doctor in Berlin is a unique experience for the traveler from San Francisco.
One of us caught a ‘bug’. Being exposed to the 30° temperatures and surrounded by many coughing locals.
It’s no surprise one of us would succumb to the elements.
The imposing tower of the criminal court house in Moabit Berlin.
Fortunately we are partaking in our third trip to Berlin and are somewhat familiar with the City and its customs.
It helps that Liz speaks some German.
The medical clinic is across the street from the Berlin criminal court house. In 1931 Adolf Hitler was interrogated for three hours as a defendant. Two years later Hitler and the Nazis took power in 🇩🇪 Germany.
The manager at the Hotel Tiergarten assisted me in finding a nearby medical clinic. It is across the street from the Berlin criminal court house. A 10 minute walk through Kleiner Tiergarten Park.
When I explained to the hotel manager we are up to date on our Covid booster shots she laughed and said, “Some people collect stamps. Others collect covid shots.”
The front entrance of the medical clinic.
When we arrived just past 9AM the waiting area was full of local Berliners. Some coughing. Others wearing face masks.
The clinic staff was initially reluctant to take an American patient. We, of course, do not have German health insurance. We engaged staff and after providing passport identification were logged into the system.
The person who needed evaluation was seen immediately.
The stolpersteine in front of the medical clinic in Berlin
The traveler with the ‘bug’ was seen by the equivalent of an American doctor. Except for one major distinction. The title on the doctor’s name badge was “Frau.”
Even though she had studied eight years, the prestige of being called “Doctor” was denied her.
To be awarded the more prestigious title of “Dr.” the American patient’s provider needed to have completed extensive research.
Despite the fact she had spent extensive time in the critical care Emergency Room the title of “Dr.” remains out of reach.
The “Frau” conducted a thorough examination and provided her analysis.
A run of the mill virus. A couple of prescriptions were written up by the “Frau” and we were out the door on a windy rainy Thanksgiving day in Moabit Berlin.
The entire visit took only one hour.
Surprisingly the appointment cost less than $25.00.
We were impressed by the effectiveness and kindness of the clinic staff and departed feeling reassured.
We then retired to a neighborhood Cafe for a caffe latte.
The neighborhood Cafe watched over by a black cat.
We were stopped dead in our tracks when we walked into a cavernous room at the Berlinische Galerie and saw four animal carcasses splayed across the floor.
Imagine the adrenaline rush.
A young man. One of the few to view The HUNTED at the Berlinische Galerie.
Nasan Tur has created a very sobering exhibit titled HUNTED.
Why does mankind kill for sport?
It shows the agony of the animals. The helplessness.
The HUNTED.
What stops animals from killing humans while humans have willfully killed animals for centuries worldwide?
Nasan Tur interviewed several German forestmeisters whose job was to kill animals. Deer. Foxes. Boar. Predator birds.
Ask five people why they kill animals. The listener will hear five different answers.
The landscape of The HUNTED by Nasan Tur
All the hunters except one explained and rationalized their professional addiction to the HUNTED.
For many hunters it is a stress relief. It allows the predatory hunters to share a sense of camaraderie and shared values in the HUNTED.
The HUNTED and its unsuspecting prey. The fox.
The hunters essential pastime is killing unsuspecting animals. The hunters wait sometimes for hours to slaughter their unsuspecting prey.
The hunters in the HUNTED consider it an enjoyable hobby.
How can anyone who kills an unsuspecting fawn enjoy the HUNTED?
A fawn. Slaughtered in The HUNTED
One forestmeister was unable to engage in the kill. He was ridiculed and vilified by his comrades.
The exercise of killing and rationales for its legitimacy requires mental gymnastics and torturous logic. How much violence do we harbor within us. How is it triggered.
A slain bird on the floor of The Berlinische Galerie.
We had gone to the Berlinische Galerie to tour the feature exhibit. Room after room of Edvard Munch artwork. Which was literally standing room only. The HUNTED room was almost totally ignored.
The bodies of the lifeless carcasses were out of place in the minds of the predominately baby boomers viewing Edvard Munch.
It’s fair to presume a number of Edvard Munch visitors have, and still do, participate in The HUNTED.
An early victim of The Wall. Rudolf Urban and his wife witnessed the closing of the border in August 1961. When they realized the border barriers would be permanent his wife wanted to flee. Rudolf hesitated because he didn’t want to start over at age 47. When the front door of their building was nailed shut they agreed to flee. On August 19 they attached a rope to the window of their first floor apartment and slid down. Rudolf broke his ankle. He was brought to the nearby Lazarus Hospital. He contacted pneumonia and died a month later on September 17, 1961.
Tomorrow is the 60th anniversary of the shocking assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas as he rode in an open limousine at 12:30pm.
A guard tower at The Wall
I was a high school junior that day and had just completed a driver training class. One of my schoolmates was running through the Tamalpais High parking lot yelling, “Kennedy’s been shot!!!”
The site of The Berlin Wall at AckerStrasse on November 21, 2023.
My life changed forever that morning.
Reconciliation sculpture at The Berlin Wall memorial
60 years later we’re in Berlin. A place which is inextricably tied to JFK’s 1000 days presidency. January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963.
One of the most iconic 1961 photos. An East German soldiers skips over the barbed wire separating East Berlin and flees to West Berlin
The Kennedy presidency took place during the height of the Cold War between the United States and Russia. Ground Zero in this struggle was the divided city of Berlin. America, Britain, and France controlled West Berlin. The Russians controlled East Berlin.
The Wall Memorial stretches through a section of previously divided Berlin.
On August 13, 1961 the Russians cutoff their side of Berlin and began construction of The Wall. It stood as the penultimate symbol of the intractable Cold War for 28 years. In late 1989 the thawing of American-Russian hostility saw the demolition of The Wall and the reunification of Berlin.
Liz Heidhues at the lookout over The Wall
The Wall may be physically gone. But its sad, bitter memories live on forever in Germany.
AckerStrasse in Berlin. The Wall divided the city for 28 years. This is one of the first sites where The Wall was built by the Russian controlled East Germans.
Today we visited a memorial to The Wall and thought seriously about the psychological and physical terror it rained on the People of Berlin for nearly 30 years.
Back to the future. Looking over The Wall past a guard tower into East Berlin.
It is a sobering experience. Made more impactful because we are in Berlin on the sad anniversary of John Kennedy’s assassination.
I learned today that cops behavior is the same worldwide.
Whether in Berlin, where we are in the midst of our German excursion, or in San Francisco.
A woman police officer monitors St. Martin’s Day as the celebrants walk from one parish to another.
A Berlin native told us her 85 year old mother had her flat broken into during the weekend.
Apparently the intruders motivation was not robbery. They were just looking for a place to sleep in chilly rainy Berlin.
A woman officer in Berlin on duty enjoys a walk in the park along the Spree River.
When our acquaintance called the Berlin police on behalf of her mother, she was told the cops were not available. Turkish president Erdogan was in town. That was the priority.
A Berlin police car on the job.
The victim, 85, was told she could file a report on line.
Instead our acquaintance traveled to the neighborhood police station to file a report. She was given a report number on behalf of her mother.
A Berlin police boat travels the Spree River
At their convenience a couple of officers made a visit to the site of the break-in.
The cops decided it was not a major issue worth pursuing further.
Sounds like the police in our home town. San Francisco.
Except for several important differences.
In Berlin, the starting salary is approximately $50,000 yearly. In San Francisco the starting salary is $103,000 yearly plus benefits.
In Berlin 🇩🇪 prospective police officers undergo three years of training before being admitted to the department.
In San Francisco training is only 34 weeks before recruits become crime stoppers.👮♂️👮♀️
Freddy Lecks WaschsalonFreddy Lecks. Welcome to Berlin-Moabit
Hanging out in Berlin during the rainy season tests one’s stamina and ingenuity.
A big load at Freddy Lecks
Elbowing your way through the muddy cobble-stoned streets of Berlin, jostling with the crowds in this historic city of 4 million, soon becomes an endurance contest.
At the end of the day, your clothes will have had it and so will you. You’re ready for a hot shower but you have no more clean clothes to don.
Freddy Leck. For 25 years always on the job ready to serve his diverse clientele
This could be an existential crisis.
It’s time to hoist the laundry bag and hustle off through Turkish Moabit to Gotzkowsky Street and do your dirty wash at Freddy Lecks Waschsalon.
A customer takes a break while his wash cycle spins
Freddy Leck himself is right at the door, hyper as always, to greet the diverse clientele and sing the praises of his Miele washing machines.
A happy customer with her clean wash. Oh la la.Marco is the main man at Freddy Lecks. He has assisted us in doing the wash during our excursions to Berlin.
Miele, Freddy tells you, makes the best washing machines in the world.
A Freddy Lecks customer checks out the blogger
Want a bigger washing machine? Freddy tells you the size of washing machine he picked for you is just fine. Want to dry your clothes longer? Freddy tells you the time he picked for your dryer is just perfect.
All washed-out
Don’t get in a dispute with Freddy about his machines. He knows his business. Freddy will prevail.
Clothing piled high in Freddy Lecks Waschsalon
We have been doing the wash at Freddy’s since our first trip to Berlin in 2017.
The famous Freddy Lecks cuckoo clock.
The health-conscious Berliners expect people to be neat and clean.
Freddy Lecks Waschsalon in Moabit is the place that meets the expectation.
Freddy Lecks can be found at GotzkowskyStrasse 11 down the street past the yellow building.
Top photo: A vast array of soaps and softeners awaits the customer at Freddy Lecks
A big surprise on our latest journey to Berlin is the state of Public transportation.
The clock in the SBahn station
In the past two days we have slogged our way through a Thursday 20 hour work stoppage.
The Girl on the Train
Followed on Friday by a several hours service disruption when the Turkish president Erdogan arrived in the city.
On the way to the Bellevue SBahn station.
In Berlin there is the SBahn which is maintained by the federal government. This is the service against which the rail workers called for a work stoppage.
Public transit is an integral part of life for young people in Berlin.
In Berlin there is also the locally run UBahn along with an extensive network of trams and busses. The local public transport ran during the stoppage.
One of Berlin’s unhoused population takes a nap in the Zoologischer UBahn station
But a diminution of one service severely impacts a city of 4 million which relies heavily on its transportation network.
Station agent on Potsdam SBahn checks the seven day 🎟
When Erdogan came to town service on the SBahn was miserable. The wait times were terrible. Trains were completely packed.
Waiting to board a train in Berlin
We met a Swiss woman heading for the airport. Service was so bad she was fearful she would miss her flight ✈️ to Zurich.
When we boarded an SBahn train later in the evening it stopped midway to the next station for 10 minutes. On the train with us was a school teacher from New York. She laughed and told us it was like being home. At least the Germans give service updates she added.
A tram in the Moabit Berlin neighborhood.
At the next station we got off the train and took a bus to our destination. Along the way as we neared the central train station we passed by countless police vehicles providing security for President Erdogan.
All this, as riders of San Francisco Muni and BART let us realize public transportation is the same worldwide 🌐.
Lee's Perspective 